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IN TRANSIT; Yosemite to Limit Hikers On Peak for Safety Reasons

By RACHEL LEE HARRIS

Published: February 12, 2012

Yosemite National Park plans to reduce the number of permits it issues to hikers seeking to climb Half Dome peak (above), one of its most popular destinations, because of safety concerns. The move comes as a result of the park's own environmental assessment, which also suggests that the park consider removing cables that allow relatively inexperienced climbers access to the summit.

The park is reducing the 400 permits it issues daily to 300 in 2013. Partly because of the cables, which were installed in 1919, tens of thousands of hikers climb the steep slope each year, leading to gridlock and safety issues, some of which have resulted in five deaths and a number of injuries in recent years, said Scott Gediman, a spokesman for Yosemite.

The environmental assessment suggested additional options, including reducing the number of permits to 120 or removing the cables altogether. Yosemite will monitor the situation and seek public feedback before taking a step like that. RACHEL LEE HARRIS

PHOTO (PHOTOGRAPH BY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE, VIA ASSOCIATED PRESS)

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